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Minnesota Department of Health

January 13, 2022

• Recent studies about COVID-19 and the benefits of vaccination
• Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine expiration table
• Avoid wastage, use the COVID-19 vaccine SmartSheet tool
• Updated booster interval in MIIC forecaster
• Enter correct COVID-19 vaccine product information into MIIC
• COVID-19: Myths and Facts webinar

Recent studies about COVID-19 and the benefits of vaccination

Several recent Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Reports (MMWR) from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) support the benefits of COVID-19 vaccination. Use this information in discussions with patients.

• Receipt of COVID-19 Vaccine During Pregnancy and Preterm or Small-for-Gestational-Age at Birth — Eight Integrated Health Care Organizations, United States, December 15, 2020–July 22, 2021
  • These data support the safety of COVID-19 vaccination during pregnancy. CDC recommends COVID-19 vaccination for women who are pregnant, recently pregnant, who are trying to become pregnant now, or who may become pregnant in the future.
• Effectiveness of BNT162b2 (Pfizer-BioNTech) mRNA Vaccination Against Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children Among Persons Aged 12–18 Years — United States, July–December 2021
  • Receipt of two doses of Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine is highly effective in preventing multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C) in people 12 through 18 years old.
• Risk for Newly Diagnosed Diabetes 30 Days After SARS-CoV-2 Infection Among Persons Aged 18 years — United States, March 1, 2020–June 28, 2021
  • The increased diabetes risk among people younger than 18 years old following COVID-19 disease highlights the importance of COVID-19 prevention strategies in this age group, including vaccination for all eligible people.

Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine expiration table

Pfizer has created a table with expiration dates for all three vaccine presentations. The date printed on the Pfizer pediatric orange cap and adult/adolescent gray cap vaccine vials indicate the manufacture date and NOT the expiration date. The expiration table can be found at Pfizer: Expiry Information for All Three Vaccine Presentations.

Pfizer reports that expiration dates listed on delivery invoices or purchase orders, may not be correct, but the issue should be resolved by the end of this week. Refer to their expiration table for current expiration date information.

Avoid wastage, use the COVID-19 vaccine SmartSheet tool

We encourage any sites with excess vaccine inventory to report it using our tool, Smartsheet: COVID-19 Vaccine Available Form to facilitate redistribution and help avoid vaccine waste. If you have questions, please email health.mdhvaccine@state.mn.us.

Updated booster interval in MIIC forecaster

In accordance with the booster interval recommendation change, MIIC now forecasts a booster dose of an mRNA COVID-19 vaccine five months after the date of the second dose. If you have any questions regarding the forecaster in MIIC, please contact the MIIC Help Desk at health.miichelp@state.mn.us.

Enter correct COVID-19 vaccine product information into MIIC

As both the purple and gray cap vials of Comirnaty (Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine) are in circulation, double-check you are reporting the correct product information to MIIC. When incorrect information is entered into MIIC, patients may be unable to verify their status for work and other activities where vaccination is required. Entering data correctly saves time and improves our program’s ability to respond to vaccination gaps.

• When hand-entering doses directly in MIIC, verify you are selecting the correct trade name from the drop-down menu
  • Select Comirnaty-PFR 30mcg for the purple cap formulation (required a diluent)
  • Select Comirnaty-PFR t-s 30mcg for the gray cap formulation (does not require a diluent)
• When reporting immunizations via an HL7 interface (data flows from provider system to MIIC) or with the spreadsheet upload option, verify you are providing correct CPT/CVX code pairs for the vaccine formulation your organization is administering.

If you have any questions regarding entering the correct product information into MIIC, please contact the MIIC Help Desk at health.miichelp@state.mn.us.

COVID-19: Myths and Facts webinar

The National Foundation for Infectious Diseases (NFID) is hosting a webinar on Wednesday, Jan. 19 at 11:00 a.m. to address common COVID-19 myths. The program will cover common misconceptions around COVID-19 and COVID-19 vaccines and will provide strategies for health care professionals to clearly communicate the facts about the disease and vaccines to help prevent it. There is no fee to participate in this activity, but pre-registration is required. Register at National Foundation for Infectious Diseases: COVID-19 Myths and Facts.

Find previous bulletins at COVID-19 Vaccine Provider Updates.

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